


Heat (revamped)

by Hexes



Category: Alien vs Predator (2004), Aliens vs Predators Series - Various Authors
Genre: Bisexual Female Character, Blasphemy, Blasphemy everywhere!, Canon-Typical Violence, Cultural Differences, Entomology, F/F, F/M, I love blasphemy, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Sex, POC Main character, Religious Fanaticism, Sexual exploration, Swearing, Tempermental characters are tempermental, no really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-23
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-11-18 03:23:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11282775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hexes/pseuds/Hexes
Summary: An entomologist attracts the attention of a blooded hunter who's on safari near a South American army base. A certain amount of chaos ensues.Contains both human on human sex (lesbian explorations!) and interspecies (is it really het if the partner is an alien?)Now with chapters, indents, and hopefully somewhat more consistent use of the internal monologue.Un-beta'd.





	1. Chapter 1

      Laila rolled over in bed, the sound of the morning announcements rousing the soldiers, startling the birds and setting the dogs barking. Pawing absently for her phone, she squinted in displeasure at the brilliant LCD screen, cheerily informing her that it was, in technical terms, too fucking early.  
      “No...” she mumbled, pulling her pillow over her head, her hands tangled in her long bourbon coloured hair. The announcements continued on, indifferent to her suffering. Slowly she sat up, grumbling.  
      “Five thirty should not exist from this side of the night...” she rolled out of bed, slid on a pair of denim shorts and pulled a tee shirt on. She stared around her room blearily attempting to locate her shower shoes, spotting them she stumbled over to slip them on. Grabbing her basket of shower essentials and a towel, she shuffled out of her room, through her laboratory and into the bustle of the base, the humid Guatemalan air already beginning to simmer with the sun rise. Veering off she came up to the lady's communal showers and stumbled in, shucking off her shorts, shirt and undergarments, she wandered toward the spigots, pawing sleepily at the dials on the wall.  
      “Doctor?” a gentle voice prompted, quietly amused at the spectacle.  
      “Who? ‘m not a doctor.” Laila grunted, not getting the joke.  
      “Oh, well... in either case, you have to turn the knob the other way,” a pale, slender hand appeared in Laila's field of vision, turning on the water, adjusting it to bearable temperatures “honestly, you'd think you'd be used to getting up this early by now.” Laila turned, facing a petite, strawberry blond nurse.  
      “Thanks.” Laila said simply, quietly eyeing the other woman. “What was your name, again?” a delicate pink stained the other woman's cheeks as though she had just realised her undressed state.  
      “Anderson… well… Sarah.” Laila smiled and responded kindly, noting that Sarah came just below her shoulder. Laila sighed, at five ten, she supposed she was taller than most women but from time to time still marvelled at the difference.  
      Laila washed quickly, drying and redressing herself before Sarah could tempt her with her milky skin, wet, trailing fiery hair, and baby blue eyes too much. Much more awake, and slightly frustrated, she rushed back to her lab ignoring the appreciative stares the soldiers gave her still slightly damp form. Rushing to her room she sighed. There were too many people here, all of them ‘off the menu’, as it were. And she was too far from home. And lord knew, too far from her vibrator. Stripping off her shower ensemble and tossing it irritably toward the hamper, Laila decided to brood a bit. Sure, she could just rub one out and be done with it, but she was, frankly, tired of masturbating. Grabbing her phone from the bedside table she opened her period app. Ovulating. But of course. Why not? ‘Fine’, she conceded, mentally ‘guess I’ll rub one out anyway - maybe I’ll just order a vibe from Amazon…’.  
      Once done with her self-care, she laid for a moment, running over the plan for the day. She’d be doing field work, and it was bloody hot, even though it was maybe half gone six. Rising from the little bed, she began dressing and packing her bag. Opting against full length pants, she chose denim shorts, a tee that gleefully declared “Wanna see my bone beetles?”, and her hiking boots. Huffing irritably at her clinging hair, she pulled it back into a bun, securing it with long twisted pieces of bronze wire, and tying a bandana over her head.  
      Returning to the lab she stuffed her notebook and field essentials into a pack, slung it over her shoulder and headed toward the door, stopping momentarily to grab a compass in case of emergency. Stepping out again, she hissed at the sun, peaking over the canopy. A chuckle caught her attention and she quickly glanced over to see First Sergeant Collins.  
      “Ooh, Creature of the Night,” Laila stiffened: She hated nicknames. She contained her dislike and responded politely,  
      “Good morning,” she quickly glanced toward the forest on the edge of the campground, its verdant depths becoming exponentially more appealing the closer Collins got.  
      “I heard you were a real bear this morning, did you stay up too late having fun that I don't know about?” he was right next to her, a pale hand resting on her shoulder, a striking, and unwelcome contrast to her bronzy brown skin. She deftly slipped out from under his grasp, starting toward the cover of the trees.  
      “I don't have fun. In fact, I hate fun. Us scientist types, we're too serious for anything other than dissertation.” her tone brokered no argument, she heard him snort, he was staring pointedly at her chest.  
      “I can teach you how to have a good time one of these nights. You can show me your bone beetles,” He had a truly disgusting grin on his face.  
      “They’re carrion feeders. Good day Sargent,” she tried to keep the disgust out of her voice, turned about-face, and hustled into the underbrush.

 


	2. Chapter 2

      Laila sighed happily, taking in the rich scent of the forest, the dappled sunlight bathing her surroundings. Truthfully, it was only a few degrees cooler under the canopy, but it felt almost like walking into a refrigerator after the sweltering heat of the tarmac. She paused, listening intently for the sound of water, following it until she came to a small brook, no wider than a few feet and perhaps as deep, it babbled contently.  
      She smiled, this was a decent place to start her day. She dropped her bag and knelt beside it, digging out a digital voice recorder, a small foam pad, her journal and a mechanical pencil. Standing again, she checked her wristwatch and compass, marking the time in her journal, the weather, and the environment.  
      “Let’s get cataloguing,” She looked intently at the surrounding flora, before deciding to start with the red parrot flowers dotting the banks of the tiny brook. Picking her way through the litter, she sidled up to the plants. Sitting on her little foam pad she began methodically scrutinizing every leaf, bud and bloom searching for insects. The sweet scent of the blooms enveloped her, the lazy breeze softly stirred the delicate plants, the warm sunlight was making her drowsy.  
      “First bugs, then coffee,” Laila admonished herself, blinking rapidly. Eyeing the plant sharply she noticed a long thin leg appear over the edge of a flower petal, grinning in victory she watched a little jumping spider peek over the lip of the petal. Swiftly she scribbled notes about its appearance, the slender, translucent legs, its pale green thorax and its brilliantly cream and fuchsia head crowned with glittering black and lime eyes. She inhaled happily.  
      “Hello there, little guy.” the spider's head swivelled around to look at her, regarding her curiously, its little legs twitching in seeming indecision. Laila tilted her head slightly forward, imitating the petite spider, smiling to herself. Suddenly the spider's attention shifted over her shoulder as a hot, musky scent danced across her nose as the gentle breeze stirred. She noted the behaviour, and sighed in frustration as the spider leapt away, upset over something. Rocking back on her heels, she inhaled deeply, taking in the new scent, humming softly to herself as it dominated her sense of smell, reigniting the throb between her legs. It smelled like spice, like power, like sex, and good god, as if she needed any more kindling for her hormones! Looking back over her shoulder, she caught a shimmer in the air, but no readily identifiable source for the intoxicating scent.  
      Trying to shake the drowsiness off, she picked up her pad and walked over to her pack dropping her journal on the ground next to it, tucking her pencil and DVR into her pockets. She flopped down, fetching out a bottle of water, and a packet of instant coffee. As she mixed herself a helping of the terrible tasting brew she cast about, choosing her next study spot – it would be best to continue down the bank of the brook. She shifted slightly, catching the shimmer out of the corner of her eye again. Humming curiously, she took a sip of her “coffee”, and started thumbing through her notes. Rubbing her thighs together, she tried to watch for the shimmer and look for insects wandering by.  
      "Mother of Christ!" She jerked back, startled by a huge male elephant beetle brushing against the back of her hand. Laila sighed, capped her coffee and pulled her pencil out to note him in her journal. She greeted the beetle as he bumbled around curiously inspecting her boot and sock before deciding to climb over her leg toward whatever business he needed to attend to.  
      "Oh no you don't, kiddo," she carefully lifted him off her thigh, and placed him back on the ground.  
      "And what are you doing up at this hour anyway?" she frowned. "You're supposed to be nocturnal..." she made a quick note, and watched curiously as the beetle about faced, lumbering away from the little brook - away from an abundant food source. Her brow knit in consternation.  
      "Well that's no good..." Laila reached into her pack, and pulled out a little plastic tank, tossed some leaves and soil in it before lifting the elephant beetle and placing him gently in it and snapping the lid closed.  
      "Sorry buddy, but you're coming in for further analysis." she pulled out a phial, standing as she uncorked it, she caught the shimmer just across the bank, much lower to the ground than she remembered seeing it the first couple times. Frowning slightly Laila eked closer to the water, looking under her lashes at the apparition, she stooped and quickly collected a water sample. The spicy scent rolled through her senses again, almost making her light-headed in its intensity. Re-corking the sample, she observed the bank she was on critically, searching the water for fish, the rot for larvae, the grass for spiders or millipedes.  
      "Nothing?" her worry evident. "Not army ants, I hope..." she checked over her shoulder, spying the little plastic terrarium with the elephant beetle in it, while not precisely pleased, he wasn't being eaten alive. She sighed and straightened, listening intently for the calls of antbirds.  
      "Nothing," she said again. Laila sighed. This wasn't going well. Slipping the water sample into a long thin upright pouch, she tucked her journal and her coffee into the main compartment, slung the bag over her shoulder and picked up the terrarium, flipping up the little handle she held onto it like a lunch box.  
      "You’re getting a name my megasoma elephas friend." she lifted the case to her eyes, regarding her newly acquired buddy. "How about Bes? Will you bring me joy?" The beetle bumbled around, bumping into the plastic, confused. "Poor guy... I'm sorry." Laila sighed again, lowering the case to her side, she looked up, the spicy scent pushing against her again, almost violent, turning her desire into an inferno. Glancing around catching the glimmer again she huffed in annoyance.  
      Perhaps she needed to calm down. It wasn’t like there was anything to see, aside from the occasional, odd shimmer. Certainly, there was a dearth of insects, which were the entire reason she was here to begin with. Besides, she had lab work to do. Inhaling deeply, she started back toward camp, having managed to while away a decent part of the morning. Laila stopped once, seizing on the opportunity to investigate a promising looking decaying log. Setting Bes down gently, she plopped her pack on the ground, pulled out a couple of sample phials and quickly loosened the corks, and snapping on a set of nitrile gloves she stuffed a few bits of rotted wood into one of the phials. Delicately she pulled apart the bark she looked for larvae. Finding a few promising leads, she collected them, further concerned by the lack of fully mature insects.  
      Sighing, she placed all the samples securely in her pack and scribbled a few quick notes in her journal. Rising as she donned her pack, she stooped to pick up Bes, her hair coming uncoiled from its bun. Laila sighed, rolling her eyes heavenward she gave her head a determined jerk that yanked her hair back over her shoulder.  
      "For all your saying that you hate fun, you sure know how to whip your hair around," Sargent Collin's voice grated over her already worked nerves. Laila shot a thoroughly unimpressed look at him, casting around for her hairpin, and snatching it up. Holding the piece of metal in her hand almost like a knife, she glared at the Sargent again before storming back toward the camp.  
      "You are quite the tempest, Doctor," he chuckled and followed after her, oblivious to the powerful, spicy scent that suddenly swept around him.  
      "Collins… I’m not a doctor.” She held onto a sigh, “You'll scare off any insects that haven't already vacated the premises." She was getting terribly annoyed with him, the heat becoming more oppressive as she neared the camp, its smooth black surfaces, and metals structures soaking up heat like a sponge. She growled when the Sergeant grabbed her by the arm and swung her around.  
      "That is no way to talk to a superior officer!" He looked angry, she noted. Laila narrowed her grey eyes.  
      "I am not under your command; I will _never_ be under your command. In any sense. I am here through the EPA, I owe you no respect, and you have given me no reason to respect you. I sure as hell don't have to put up with your bullshit, because you can't discharge me. Now, you’re wasting my time, so, kindly fuck off!" She wrenched her arm out of his grasp, turned and marched off. She could hear him breathing, deep and furious, even as she increased the distance between them.  
      Arriving back at her lab she threw open the door, tore off her bandana and threw in the direction of the small sink by her work tables. Breathing slowly to calm herself, she gently set Bes' little terrarium on one of the tables, followed by her pack. Laila worked to calm herself, she was still upset, still ridiculously aroused. She muttered darkly, pulling her watch and compass off, tossing them down by the pack, she busied herself collecting instruments.  
      "I cannot believe his nerve..." she slammed her journal down on the centre island. Laila threw open the cabinet doors under the island, withdrew a microscope and slides, grumbling. Setting the microscope with slightly more care than she had shown her journal, she set about removing samples from her pack, standing them in a tray near her work area. Satisfied with her set up, she nodded to herself. Looking around the lab, she moved to close the door she had left open in her tantrum. Sighing at the lack of air flow she opened a window and placed a fan in it. Rocking back on her heels her stomach growled.  
      "Right... lunch it is, then." Laila started back toward her little attached apartment when the fan blew that damnably alluring scent around her again. She inhaled deeply, it was beginning to grow on her, sweet hot like cinnamon and cayenne pepper, that musky undertone of sex. She moaned softly, a delicate tendril of pleasure threading through her body. Opening her eyes, she continued on through the short hallway, slipped her shoes off and placed them on the rack just inside her door. Turning to her right she wandered into the kitchenette rummaging around through her rather sparsely stocked refrigerator and mostly bare cupboards.  
      "What even is a balanced meal..." she pulled out a box of pasta and fixed a light lunch. Glancing at the little clock by the sink she ate quickly, washed her dishes and set them to dry. She swiftly re-entered her laboratory and laid herself to work.  
      Testing the water, she found nothing untoward. Laila's brow crinkled, her findings not agreeing with her observations. She set to the wood samples, scribbling furiously in a lab book, tearing the wood apart piece by piece. Sighing she pulled back from the microscope, stretching her back and neck yawning softly. She groaned as she stood looking out a window, noticing the sunset.  
      Sitting on the floor, she stretched her stiff muscles, bending her way through a number of stretches before standing again. Taking the wood samples, she went to Bes' enclosure.  
      "Nothing wrong with them, I guess, so here's dinner, little buddy." Laila emptied the phials into the terrarium. “But what the hell am I going to eat?”

 

      A knock sounded at the front door, looking over curiously, she bade her guest enter. Sarah's brilliant smile preceded her through the door, two boxes in her slender hands. Laila suppressed a groan, this was not what she needed right now. What she needed was a vibrator. Or a dildo. A vibrating dildo!  
      "I brought some dinner! Let's eat!" Sarah's sweet cheerful voice tinkled in the large lab.  
      "Thank you for thinking of me,” Laila smiled genuinely: She was hungry. “Follow me." Sarah looked at her somewhat strangely "Unless you'd like to eat in the lab?" Laila offered. The redhead smiled again shaking her head, and Laila turned away to lead her back to the kitchen area.  
      "Wow, it's no wonder we never see you!" Sarah put the containers on the little table, put her shoes by the door and peeked around the incomplete wall that separated the sleeping area from the kitchenette. She giggled as Laila pulled her away, having set the tiny table.  
      "What did you bring?" Laila asked, hoping to divert the pretty nurse from exploding into questions.  
      "Well, I stopped at the MX, and I picked up some Chinese food, because that was all they had this late in the evening, but I didn't know what you'd want so I got you a vegetarian dish..." Sarah looked up at her "You're not vegan are you?" Laila smiled and shook her head.  
      "Thank you, I appreciate your doing this for me." Sarah beamed.  
      "No thanks needed! You must get lonely in here all by yourself sometimes. I know that the soldiers harass you, they can't help it. You're a safer bet than any of the nurses or anything, because they can't get in trouble for fraternizing with you like they could one of us. Not that it usually stops them." Sarah paused a moment, trying to recall something. "I think there was actually one guy who was dismissed because Collins caught him sleeping with a girl that he had an eye on. But that was before you came. Collins has always been kind of annoying, I've never slept with him and he still gets on my nerves. Some of the other nurses are totally in love with him! Can you imagine?"  
      Laila looked at Sarah quietly, trying to process the whirlwind of gossip she was being treated to. Hoping to get a bit of quiet, she began dishing out the food. Looking up, she realised that Sarah had yet to stop talking.  
      "But he really likes you, it's because you haven't given in to him. I know it. That and you are quite beautiful, you have really pretty eyes. I wish I had more interesting eyes, mine are just blue. And you're so intelligent, and fearless! I could never wander off into the forest on my own like you do, I am terrified of spiders!" Laila smiled, remembering the pretty jumping spider from earlier.  
      "Guatemala is not the country to be in if you're afraid of spiders." Laila remarked dryly.  
      "Oh, I know!" Sarah looked down, finally noticing the food that Laila had placed in front of her.  
      "Oh dear, sorry about that... I can ramble on a bit when I'm nervous. You're kind of unapproachable... you're so pretty and aloof, always running off into the jungle or rushing around your lab. I'm sure I never would have had a chance to talk to you if the hot water in your shower wasn't broken... I wasn't trying to tease you this morning, it's just- " Laila cut her off with a smooth wave of her hand.  
      "No apologies, I appreciate you helping me, despite my rather boorish state. Now, let’s eat."  
Sarah smiled radiantly. Laila enjoyed the mock duck that Sarah had brought, quietly amused that the petite redhead applied as much gusto to eating as she had to talking.  
      "I couldn't find anything decent to drink, I don't speak Spanish, and the only things left were these sodas, and I couldn't tell what flavour they were. I mean, aside from like… highlighter yellow, and safety orange..." Sarah motioned apologetically to the glasses of water that Laila had set out.  
      "No worries. I have a bottle of wine, if you would prefer that?" Laila offered, cautiously.  
      Sarah's eyes lit up  
      "It’s a sweet red, perhaps not the best for Chinese food, but better than “safety orange” soda."  
      Rising from her chair Laila opened the fridge and pulled out the bottle of wine that she'd had since her arrival – it was a gift from… some colleague. Opening the cupboard, she pulled out another set of glasses.  
      "Sorry dear, no wine glasses here."  
      "That's okay. I brought take out from the MX, I think I can handle wine in a water glass."  
      Laila placed the glasses by their plates and poured healthy measure for the cheerful woman. Returning to her seat she poured herself a glass and returned to eating. Sarah was staring at her.  
      "Yes?"  
      "You are so polite! Anyone else here would have just slapped it on the table, and gone from there." Laila smiled.  
      "It's a good thing I'm not anyone else, isn't it?" Sarah's cheeks blazed an attractive rose colour. Laila shifted in her seat, her gaze drawn to the delicate machination of the other woman's throat as she took a sip of wine. It was with slight difficulty that Laila pulled herself away from the attractive sight, focussing on the food in front of her. The food that was nearly gone she noticed, somewhat shocked.  
      "So, what exactly do you do here?" Sarah's soft voice cut through Laila's thoughts.  
      "I am a conservative entomologist, I'm here to measure the effects of the base on the insect population." Laila went on to explain the past and projected larval rates, the importance of insects in the ecosystem, and how they could be upset by the soldiers tramping around through their habitat.  
      "Wow... so, you are a doctor?" Sarah looked somewhat wide eyed.  
      Laila laughed, "Not… precisely. That's why I'm here, I'm gathering information not only for my university, but for my doctoral dissertation." Sarah giggled and raised her empty glass, Laila raised a brow, but filled her cup again.  
      "So, soon-to-be Dr. Acerbi," Sarah inhaled, suddenly curious, "What's your name mean?" Laila looked up from her contemplation of the woman's military nurse uniform.  
      "Which part?"  
      "All of it!" Sarah exclaimed, setting her glass down and removing her jacket. "Do you have a middle name?" her eyes were slightly glassy.  
      "Kepi. It means tempest." Sarah smiled broadly.  
      "Well you are, a little bit." she leaned forward, Laila suddenly noticed that the first several buttons of her blouse had been undone, and when the hell had _that_ happened? Wasn’t she supposed to have a tee shirt on, or something? "What's the rest mean?"  
      "Laila means ‘dark beauty’, Acerbi means ‘harsh’ or ‘heartless’." Sarah smiled.  
      "That's very pretty." she wetted her lips, Laila was acutely aware of the movement of the other woman's tongue. Standing Laila cleared the plates, disposed of the meagre remnants of the meal and sat the dishes to soak. That damnable scent was floating around again, and it wasn’t bloody helping. She turned at the sound of Sarah pouring herself another glass of wine.  
      "What's your heritage?" Laila noticed the soft slurring of the 's'.  
      "Italian and Egyptian," she offered, her voice soft with thought as she regarded the other woman.  
      “How’d that happen?” Sarah seemed genuinely curious, so Laila let the rather rude nature of the comment slide.  
      “Once upon a time, in a country far, far away,” Sarah huffed in amusement, and Laila gave her a quelling look. “A powerful Egyptian woman decided to study linguistics at MIT -” Laila held her hand up to forestall Sarah’s question. “- where she met a pretty, first generation Italian man in the anthropology department. They fell passionately in love, my mother got her U.S citizenship, married my father, and they moved to Texas, where they had me.”  
      “Texas?” Sarah sounded dubious.  
      “The climate was agreeable to both of them, and Dallas isn’t so bad. Besides, my father played it up as the most down-home, banjo-twanging vaquero.” Laila smiled lopsidedly, remembering his random attempts at emulating a Texan accent. Sarah took a sip of her wine and stood.  
      "That seems so exotic..." she murmured, slowly undoing the rest of the buttons on her blouse. Her face was flushed with wine, the rosy colour rushing down her neck to her bust.       "You’re so pretty... I've never been with a woman before... but I can tell you like me, I see it when you watch me." Laila was transfixed, the smooth pale flesh glowed in the moonlight streaming through the kitchen window. Sarah opened the fly of her pants, let them slide slowly down her hips, pooling at her feet. She stepped out of them quite gracefully, and looked up under her lashes at the scientist. ‘ _Good god_ ,’ Laila thought fuzzily, ‘ _there’s matching lingerie_ …’  
      "I want you, too..." Sarah smiled coquettishly, tucking her chin to her shoulder she smiled shyly.  
      Laila stepped closer to the inebriated woman.  
      "You are... intoxicated." She couldn't help but notice the elegant blue lace matched the redhead's eyes, the way the frills enhanced the full curve of her bosom. Laila ran her hands down Sarah's arms, intent on telling her to go home and sleep off the wine, that she would be disappointed with the thrills of female flesh. Sarah apparently had a different idea, she leaned forward, rocking on to the balls of her feet and placed a few soft, warm kisses along Laila's neck.  
      "I was worried you'd turn me down... even after seeing the way you looked at me... I won't let you though." Sarah sighed softly over Laila's neck, causing the taller woman to shudder. Abruptly she pulled back and turned around, giving Laila a full view of her soft rolling hips and full buttocks, framed masterfully in a blue lace thong.  
      "I'll be waiting for you..." She looked over her shoulder and let her hair out, the red-gold curls cascading down her shoulders. She walked smoothly, rolling her hips, stopping at the lip of the half wall, caressing the plaster teasingly before disappearing into the sleeping area. Laila groaned inwardly. She was trying so hard to avoid getting into any entanglements while she was here, she had been doing so well, storming around, turning aside attempts at conversation, hell, being rude.  
      She shifted uneasily: She could feel her own excitement, could hear the soft moans drifting toward her from her own bed. She shouldn't have had any wine. She shouldn't have been so blatant in her appraisal. Her head felt clouded by alcohol and desire, the memory of silk smooth skin, and delicious scent tantalized her into action - damn the consequences.  
Laila moved quickly toward her bed where the redhead lay, the scent of her desire complementing the spicy aroma that permeated the entire apartment. She stripped off her lab coat and jeans, throwing them to the side, she continued her advance, drawn in by Sarah's soft gasps as she teased her nipples through the pretty lace bra. Laila yanked off her top she climbed on to the bed, running her hands from Sarah’s knee to her crotch.  
      "Is this what you want, Sarah?" she scraped a nail down the tiny scrap of lace protecting the other woman's sex.  
      "You want me to drive you mad with desire?" Sarah moaned: Laila's voice had taken on a smoky quality that made her tremble. She sounded almost sinister. Laila purred softly and braced her left arm along Sarah's side, leaning down to bite softly at Sarah's stiff nipples, bringing her right hand to flicker over the other nipple, using the grain of the lace to her advantage. Sarah moaned and arched against her, pulling the metal sticks out of Laila's hair, she gasped as she felt the long locks tumble over her side and shoulders.  
      "Please" Sarah panted shamelessly. Laila reared back, her deeply tanned hands contrasting starkly against Sarah's pale knees. The redhead moaned again, seeing the other woman's eyes dark with desire, her face and chest flushed with arousal.  
      "Please what?" Laila asked, her lips quirked, eyebrow raised. Sarah arched her back and undid the clasp of her bra, quickly sliding the straps down her shoulders, moaning deep in her throat when Laila began to assist her, dragging fingertips over rosy nipples.  
      "Please undress you?" Sarah nodded emphatically, and Laila casually ran her fingers down Sarah's sides, catching on the wide lace band that barely protected the woman's modesty. She paused, kissing a pale knee until Sarah made an impatient noise. Chuckling darkly, she slipped the panties toward her, down Sarah’s wide hips, along soft thighs and paused only a moment at slender ankles before deciding that tying the redhead’s feet together probably required more trust than they shared. Pulling the lacy thong away she tossed it toward the head of the bed, in the general direction the bra was thrown.  
      Leaning back down she kissed along a delicate collar bone, between the valley of Sarah's breasts, laving each nipple with her tongue until the woman begged her to stop. Pushing her farther up the bed, Laila continued along down a porcelain stomach, stopping momentarily to play with the belly button. She moaned appreciatively when she laid eyes on Sarah's neatly groomed thicket of fire red hair. Kissing the crease of her legs, she danced around Sarah's desire, not giving the woman what Laila knew she wanted.  
      "Please, oh please, don't stop... stop teasing, just please..." Laila moaned again, the begging was undoing her last reserve, the hot scent of arousal utterly impossible to ignore. Giving in, Laila slid her left arm under Sarah's thigh, tilting her pelvis upward, she used her long fingers to spread the swollen lips, revealing an equally swollen clitoris to her hungry gaze. She teased the sensitive bud with her lips, her right hand delicately teasing the other woman's opening.  
      "Now, now, now please, now..." Laila could no longer refuse the poor, needy nurse, and slid her tongue across the little nub as she pushed two fingers into the wet entrance, moaning as she felt Sarah's walls clench around her, her hips jerking up to get more contact.  
      ‘ _Merciful gods_ …’ It had been too long – Laila had nearly forgotten the smell of another woman. She revelled in the hot, tart taste, already slightly bitter from the MSG and wine. Laila kept a leisurely pace, slowly sliding her fingers in and out in tandem with her tongue. Sarah began to moan quietly, begging with every spare breath for more.  
      Laila could feel the orgasm building in the other woman, the delicate shuddering of her thighs, the stuttered gasps. She applied just a touch more pressure with her tongue, twisted her hand around palm up, and began to massage Sarah's G-spot. She smiled triumphantly when Sarah released an emphatic "Oh god!" into the night. Laila's jaw began to ache, and she picked up the pace, ruthlessly lashing the little bundle of nerves, her fingers pressed firmly against that little magic spot inside. She was rewarded almost immediately as Sarah arched up screaming softly, trapping Laila’s head with her shuddering thighs, her back forming an attractive bow, her eyes clenched shut, one hand gripping to Laila's shoulder, the other tangled desperately in the sheets.  
      Sarah groaned dejectedly when Laila began to pull away, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand, looking at her intently. Laila smiled watching the other woman twitch with the aftershocks of orgasm, her sex desperately clamping at her fingers.  
      "More..." Sarah whined, her hair was attractively mused, her body flushed and needy.  
      "I can't give you what you need, lovely." Laila withdrew her fingers from the wet heat between Sarah's legs, smiling sardonically at the whimper she gave. Leaning forward she caressed Sarah's neck with her teeth, smearing the woman’s fragrant juices over her nipples.  
      "Given the circumstances, I think there comes a point in sex where you just want a good pounding." Laila nuzzled against the gently abused flesh before leaning back and kissing Sarah breathless. "I lack the equipment to give you the work over you want after an orgasm like that." Sarah moaned at the idea.  
      "Go find some private to fuck you through the mattress, baby. You've satisfied your curiosity," Laila leaned back allowing Sarah to rise, her eyes still somewhat unfocused.  
      "What about you? You haven't gotten any since you've been here... you haven't climaxed yet." Laila shrugged, snagging Sarah's undergarments from the head of the bed.  
      "I can take care of myself. Now hurry up before the aftershocks all fade." Sarah stood, somewhat unsteadily, before moving to collect her clothes from the kitchen floor, sliding them on without putting her underwear on first.  
      "Keep the set." she said with a wink. Reaching up, she gave Laila a soft kiss, her tongue darting out momentarily to taste herself on the other woman's lips. She slipped her shoes on quickly and scampered off, her breathing still harsh. Laila locked the door behind her and groaned.  
      "God dammit..." she pulled her shirt back on and opened the windows, trying to dispel the scent of sex. Laila grumbled, she was so frustrated, she hadn't asked the other woman to reciprocate because she knew for a fact that the girl wasn't interested in her goods. She tore the sheets off the bed and caught the shimmer out of the corner of her eye, the spicy scent much muskier than it had been in the past. Dismissing it, she pulled the sheets with her toward the wash room, stepping into the little room she opened a fold away door and threw the sheets in with some clothes that needed to be run through wash. Pulling down a fresh set of sheets she stalked back out to her bed and threw them on the mattress.  
      "God dammit!" She said again, she could feel herself soaking through her panties. "I am too fucking desperate for my own good..." she went back to the wash room and turned on the shower, stripping she stepped under the water, she supposed that it wasn't too cold. Perhaps she should just keep showering here, to avoid any more curious nurses. Laila sighed.       The cool water was not cooling her raging desire.  
      The apparition appeared in the doorway, watching her turned back, taking in her quickly diminishing scent. It situated itself by the sink tucking its giant feet around a white porcelain fixture. It watched as she moaned, and sank to the floor of the shower, one of her hands turning the water pressure down to a mere dribble, the other working between her legs. It lifted its head as her scent flared violently.  
      Laila's head fell back as she worked herself, her lower lip caught in her teeth. She moaned softly, peaking her pleasure, teasing herself to the precipice. The spicy musk invaded her senses again and she whimpered - she could almost taste it. She lifted her head, and opened her mouth, allowing the scent to circulate through her olfactory. She gasped and cried out softly as orgasm tore through her.  
      The apparition tightly held on to an appreciative growl. Her pheromones were wreaking havoc on his senses, the alien structure of her face notwithstanding. He heard her sigh, still on the floor as she turned the water pressure up, washing away the scent of her desire. Deciding to exit the room before she finished, the apparition slipped out, situating himself by a folding door that afforded him an excellent view of the woman's sleeping mat.  
      He watched silently as she came out of the bathing chamber, leaving her garments on the floor behind her. She was wrapped in a fluffy piece of fabric that barely covered her ample bosom let alone her muscular buttocks. Laila quickly shifted the towel from her body to her hair, working the wet locks vigorously, glad she kept her living area so neat. She quickly redressed the bed and closed the windows, making sure the curtains were tightly drawn. Looking at the time she groaned again, and deciding she absolutely would not get up at morning call, she stuffed a couple decorative pillows in the widows by her bed and unfolded a light blanket over her sheets, crawling in she sighed, still haunted by that delicious spicy scent.  
      The apparition moved back to the bathroom and snagged the scrap of fabric that had been covering Laila’s sex, and ran his thumb through the still-slick substance that had soaked the crotch of the garment. He stuffed the panties into a pouch on his belt – a little inspiration for later – and left the building. Scrolling through modalities on his heads-up display he made a decision, and went off into the night.


	3. Chapter 3

      Morning announcements blared relentlessly. Laila was stubbornly refusing to acknowledge them. The air in her apartment had cleared considerably – she was no longer haunted by the scent of Sarah’s luscious sex.  
      "All personnel having interacted with First Sargeant Collins in the last twenty-four hours are to report last interaction to base ops immediately."  
      Laila looked up from her pillow "I'm not personnel!" She snapped at her ceiling before she flopped back down, pulling an extra pillow over her head. She was drifting happily when a shuffling noise caught her attention, looking up and glancing around she saw nothing out of the ordinary. She narrowed her eyes at a faint shimmer near her closet, she inhaled deeply. Half shrugging to herself she bedded back down, pulled her pillow over her head and went back to sleep.  
      Three hours passed quietly before her alarm began serenading her with the String Quartet in F Major by Haydn Franz Joseph. She grumbled and sat up, pulling her sheets up to cover her bare breasts. She flailed at the phone until it shut up. Laying back, Laila stretched, cracking her shoulders and then her elbows followed by her wrists and fingers. Canting her hips up and to the right and then the left she realigned her spine. Next she lifted one of her legs, hugging it to her torso she pressed sideways, popping her left hip then right. she flexed her knees, rotated her ankles and scrunched toes, cracking the air pockets from them. Groaning she sat up again, checking the curtains before she stood, stretching one more.  
      “Dear lord... I hate mornings...” Laila hooked her fingers through the side band of Sarah's panties and snatched up the bra. “Too bad they won't fit,” wandering over to the bathroom she tossed the intimates into the hamper, squinting at the floor in vague confusion: Where had her own panties gone? Shrugging it off, she switched the bedding into the dryer.  
      Looking into the mirror over the sink she hissed, her hair was a mess. Brushing coconut oil through it quickly she pulled it back into a thick ponytail, and brushed her teeth. After feeling marginally more human Laila went back to her living area, selecting her clothing for the day. She stared into her abysmally boring underwear drawer.  
      No lace, or flirty thongs. No racy silk confections.  
      Shrugging she pulled on a comfortable pair of cotton boy shorts and a cotton sports bra. It wasn't like she had anyone to impress. Pulling on a little used pair of Bermuda shorts she looked around for her basket of clean but unsorted laundry. Heading toward the closet she noticed the shimmer lingering by the fold-away door.  
      She crouched down, sifting through the giant pile of shirts.Laila focussed on the presence beside her. It was certainly warm. Hot, in fact. Yanking out a shirt, she pulled it on and moved away quickly. Teetering about precariously, she pulled on a pair of socks as she made her way to the kitchenette. Drawing herself a glass of water, and picking up an orange she went to the table. Studying the apparition she pulled her chair around to face it. Sitting and looking directly at the disturbance in the air, she effectively blocked it from exiting the flat.       The large, shimmery something went extremely still, and seemed to disappear entirely.  
      Laila began to tear at the thick rind of the orange, pulling it away in large chunks, she set them aside on the table. Focussing on the warm, shimmering something, she contemplated it. Certainly, it had been this oddity that had been following her around. She succeeded in relieving the orange of its skin. The whatever-it-was definitely smelled delicious, its scent going quite nicely with the orange oil that hung in the air.  
      She tore at the globe of soft flesh, rending it in two. The shimmery area was quite large, probably larger than she could fully appreciate, with its line disrupted by what looked vaguely like heat distortion. ‘Likely capable of reproduction,’ she thought, recalling the distinct musky tang the scent had adopted during her liaison with Sarah.  
      Moaning softly as she recalled the dark, musky scent-taste, she began to tear segments of the orange off, bringing them to her mouth to enjoy the robust flavour. She continued to stare pointedly at the fold away door, orange juice staining her fingers. Curious, she sucked a finger deep into her mouth, twisting her tongue around the digit suggestively. The air distorted again, and she quirked the corner of her mouth in triumph. The scent was coming back.  
      Apparently, her apparition was interested in her mouth. Laila quirked a brow, becoming excited. Her guest was likely male, given the scent that differed when she'd tongued her fingers. She bit her lip, knees pinched together as she fantasized. Observing the observer, she wondered what it saw. Wondered why it was here, following her around like some semi-intangible puppy.  
      The apparition seemed to be staring back, its gaze nearly as heavy as its heady scent, and Laila briefly entertained the thought of ordering a Sybian. Maybe she could pass it off as a health-aid, and come all over it, wrapped in the smell of the shimmery thing in her room. Chewing her lip she slung her left ankle over her right knee, spreading her legs as she ripped another segment of the orange free of fleshy globe.  
      “Are we at an impasse, glitter beast?” She smiled wickedly.

      A smart rap sounded at her door. Sighing, she finished her orange, wiped her hands and opened the door. A sharply dressed military policeman stood, looking quite out of place in the corrugated metal hallway that married her apartment to her laboratory. Stepping aside quickly she waved him in.  
      “Petty Officer Allen.”  
      “Laila Acerbi, please have a seat.” She pulled back a chair for him. “What can I do for you?”  
      He brushed an invisible piece of lint from his painfully clean uniform, tugged on the stiff, starched collar of his impeccable fatigues. Suppressing an eye roll at his preening, she sat.  
      “Sergeant Collins was found murdered this morning around 0400.” He looked at Laila sharply, she stared back at him in shock. People didn’t get murdered on military bases.  
      “Murdered?” She repeated, feeling very lost. People didn’t get murdered on military bases. "As in, like... dead. By someone's hand?"  
      “His head and spine had been removed from his body and he had been skinned.” He looked utterly at ease with the information, Laila felt slightly ill.  
      “... Skinned...? How... I mean, how could even tell who it was?”  
      “His uniform was not far from the body.” he gave her another significant look, “had you seen the Sargent yesterday?”  
      “Yes... Once in the morning before I started for field observation and then again when I was on the way back to the lab... It was probably just after six the first time, and then perhaps ten thirty or eleven the second time.”  
      “Did you and the Sargent have a... relationship?” Officer Allen's tone implied what sort of relationship he meant. Laila couldn't help the look of revulsion that flashed across her face.  
      “No. Never.” Disgust twisted her innards.   
      “Did he approach you?” again his tone carried the implication of his question.  
      “Well, yeah. He approached every woman on base... I repeatedly turned him down. I had no interest in him.” She shook her head, pushing stray hairs out of her face. “it was sort of a sore point between us... he'd always coming bothering me and I'd always tell him to take a hike.”  
      “Did he proposition you yesterday?”  
      “Yeah... I mean, no more than he usually did. I was rather cross yesterday, though. I got pretty snappish with him.”  
      “Why were you upset?”  
      “I thought he was following me, you know? I was trying to do my field work, and I couldn't find any insects, but I could hear leaves shifting, and I felt like I was being watched... I thought it was Collins... and then when I was coming back to the lab, he just turned up beside me, saying what a tease I was. I yelled at him.”  
      “Did the confrontation turn physical?” There was a gleam in the Petty Officer's eye, like a cat about to pounce.  
      “No,” she said firmly. “I walked off and came back to my lab. I was in here all the rest of the day.”  
      “What time did you come back?”  
      “Around eleven, like I said.” Laila didn't like what he was implying. In fact - she wasn't sure that she liked the Petty Officer, himself.  
      “Do you have any witnesses? I'll need something to corroborate your alibi.”  
      “Not until well into the evening, around sunset... one of the nurses stopped by for dinner.” She hoped fervently that he didn't ask which _dinner_ she meant.  
      “So I'm told.” he sneered, looking at her with distaste.  
      “ _Excuse_ me?” Suspicion she could handle, but rudeness was uncalled for.  
      “Don't play stupid, at least half of the base knows that it wasn't dinner that you were eating.”  
      Laila huffed in bemused incredulity. She couldn't believe she was being chastised for “lesbian affairs” when there was a dead Sergeant that needed to be taken care of. “Yes, it was. I had mock duck with vegetables.”  
      “And several glasses of wine?” He gestured to the bottle on the counter top.  
      “Yeah, we got a bit pissed. Big deal, what's this have to do with a dead guy in the forest?”  
      “Quite a lot. You're a lesbian separatist, hate men, like your women drunk and have no faith.” he looked as though everything made perfect sense to him. His tone was condescending as he addressed her.  
      “... what?” Laila blinked. She was having quite a bit of trouble following his logic.  
      “He wanted to give you what you had been missing, introduce you to proper God-fearing relations, and you couldn't stand the thought. Lead him out into the woods, killed him, came back, and seduced an innocent woman.”  
      “How did you even fucking come _up_ with that?!” Laila was getting angry, she could feel her face growing hot. She hated idiots, bigots, and misogynists.  
      “Well, you kept turning down a superior officer-” She cut him off angrily, “I am not in the Army!” he continued, “you took advantage of a drunk woman-” Laila jumped in again, “she wanted something I couldn't give her, I sent her on her way.” he kept going, “And it's obvious by your attire that you lack proper fear of God.” he motioned to her shirt.  
      Laila paused looking down at her shirt, in violent letters it proclaimed “FUCK YOUR GOD”. She hadn't realised that this was the shirt she pulled on. Shit.  
      “It's the title of an album by a garage band in Austin, Texas. It has nothing to do with the church.” She took a deep breath, placing her bets. “That aside, I doubt you have the proper fear of god. You're probably some filthy fucking Protestant or something. If you had any sense of the bible you'd be devoutly Roman Catholic.” She sniffed, bringing a crucifix out from under her shirt, thanking whatever deity would listen for her father giving the necklace to her. Petty Officer Allen stiffened considerably, she preened mentally at having struck a deep vein.  
      “Those of the Roman Catholic Church cross themselves improperly.”  
      Stifling herself, she ground out, “This is why the Schism happened. Get the fuck out of my house, I don't need any devil worshipers tarnishing my stoop, thanks.” Laila stood swiftly, opening the door, and motioning wildly.  
      “Up and at 'em soldier, I have better things to do with my time than trying to convert a staunch heretic.” Collins jerked, and stood, glaring at her, unable to loom effectively with barely an inch on her.  
      “We will be talking again Ms. Acerbi.”  
      “I hope not.” She poured her distrust of the man, her frustration, and her confusion into a volatile farewell: “Godspeed.”  
      Laila snapped the door shut, her previous desire very much dead. She huffed. She returned her gaze to the apparition, noticing that it had shifted.  
      “Well, that was certainly an excellent way to start my weekend.”

  
      Moving back to the kitchen she drew herself a glass of water and set to making a grocery list. Eventually she moved toward her closet, the apparition staying unnervingly still. ‘ _Inhumanly so_ ,’ she thought, in the dark recesses of her brain. Snatching the basket of clean clothing, she headed back toward the bed, made it quickly, and started folding and putting away the laundry. The dryer buzzed loudly.  
      “What timing,” she said appreciatively, stuffing the pile of her shirts into the hamper. Bringing her basket along with her, she dumped the hot, clean bedding in to it. Standing, she began to fold the wash. She became acutely aware of the presence moving around.  
Ignoring it, she simply laid the fitted sheet on top of the dryer, and began folding the cover sheet, startling when she caught the shimmer with the corner of her eye. It seemed to be making for the door, like she wouldn't notice. Her raw nerves grated.  
      “What the hell are you doing in here anyway?” It was much larger than she had previously thought, towering well above anyone she had seen on base. Even though she couldn't get a good read on how large he really was, she could easily tell that it was nearly as tall as her eight foot ceiling. It turned toward her, she wasn't about to back down, she was almost pulling for a fight, she was irritated, frustrated and hungry.  
      “Who are you anyway? Stalking me like some half invisible, love-sick teenager. Were you assigned to keep an eye on me, or something?” Laila was feeling mean. She really wanted to have a nice lunch and go back to bed, she hated idiots, and she hated being interrogated. She also hated being ignored. The apparition shifted, though it remained silent.  
      “What the fuck, dude? Can't you answer? Or is this some top secret bullshit?” The silence that met her question did not amuse her. “I fucking hate the military,” she seethed, turning back to her folding, growling in irritation when she had to refold her sheet. She felt a draft as the door opened.  
      “Don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out.” It closed with a snap.  
      Laila thought for a moment. Perhaps she shouldn't have gotten snappish, it seemed to be becoming a habit recently. She half shrugged to herself, finished folding her sheets, and tucking them up into their appropriate shelves. Returning to her table she grabbed her grocery list and basket, and headed for the MX.


	4. Chapter 4

      Stepping outside was like walking to Hell itself. It was atrociously hot, the sun was blazing white in the pristine azure sky, and the humidity made it feel as though she'd just plunged into a diving pool. Laila made a face and continued on her errand. The base seemed unusually quiet for someone having just been brutally murdered. But then, she supposed, no one had been “murdered” while she'd been here. She made quick work of shopping, picking up a few of the “unidentifiable sodas” Sarah had mentioned. Back outside a few soldiers gave her a wide berth. She grumbled, they were so fickle.  
      Getting back to her lab she set her basket on the counter next to Bes and propped open a few windows. Laila eyed them appraisingly, and quickly sat a fan in one before taking her groceries back to her apartment and putting everything away. She contemplated the refrigerator for a moment, and fixed herself a salad. Having nothing better to do she returned to her lab, and began indexing her notes. A familiar scent caught her nose, breathing deeply, she began speaking.  
      “Hey... I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier... It was uncalled for... I was just hungry and irritable. You probably haven't done anything other than what you were ordered to.”  
      Laila was unsurprised when she received no response. It hadn't talked to her yet, not even after she had bitched it out for no reason, she doubted he would reply to an apology. She sat quietly reading and rewriting her notes, drawing references and numbering cases and appearances, she turned on her digital voice recorder, occasionally murmuring at it.  
      She could feel the apparition watching her. At times, the direction changing, even though she never heard it moving. It passed in front of the fan, its scent consuming her. She held onto a moan and looked up. The sun was just barely out of high noon position, offering her no shadow to look for, even though it was directly in front of a window. The scent became stronger the longer she looked. She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, the ache in her loins roaring to life as she flexed her thighs. ‘ _Saints above, I’m going to come off just smelling this thing_ …’  
      “You must be male… that musk doesn’t call to mind any woman I’ve known…” Laila barely caught a faint clicking that faded as soon as she tilted an ear toward the window. She crossed her legs, squeezing convulsively.  
      Though his line was still extremely difficult to make out, his form was still somewhat unnervingly large. Huge, even. His scent was becoming overpowering, she was getting dizzy from the intensity, soaking her panties at the silent stare-down.  
      Laila nearly jumped out of her skin when a knock sounded at her door.  
      “Sweet baby _Jesus_...” she gasped, touching her hand to her heart. She bade the visitor enter, shifting her gaze back to where her apparition had been. He was gone, she sighed softly, returning to her notes. A very unwelcome voice interrupted her;“Ms. Acerbi,” she cringed at the mangling of her surname “I have further questions of you.”  
      Laila refused to look up “Ask away, Petty Officer.”  
      “Are you skilled in any hand to hand combat?”  
      She blinked a few times at a sketch she couldn't quite make out, “I've been in Tai Chi for ages.”  
      “Tai Chi isn't a combative practice,” Allen's ignorance cut through the still air, and irritated her.  
      “It is a martial art, practiced mainly for training musculature and encouraging balance. It’s like yoga, only that it can be used for self defence, should the situation arise.” She strengthened a few lines on the sketch, bringing out Bes’ horn more clearly.  
      “Have you any skill with edged weaponry?” ‘ _Ah_ ,’ she thought, ‘ _he's getting to the meat of the issue_.’  
      “Not in the slightest... I've managed to give myself cuts deserving stitches with butter knives.” Perhaps not the whole truth: She knew that the point end of the stick went into the baddie. But, certainly not if it involved cooking. She erased a few words in her notebook, annoyed that she had started writing what she had been saying. She heard Allen approaching, and she glanced up at his particularly sour looking face.  
      “What do you know of firearms?”  
      “I was born and raised in _Texas_. I was on the high school trap team.” Laila sighed. That probably wouldn’t sound good. She neglected to mention the hunting trips with her father.  
      “Would you be willing to submit yourself to examination for cuts, bruises, or traces of gunpowder?” His tone of voice clearly stated that it was not so much a request as a direct order. It further ground her frayed nerves.  
      “Yeah. Sure. Why the fuck not? I mean, it’s not like I'm trying to write my doctoral dissertation, so that I can actually get a fucking job. I am _awash_ in spare time to be at the beck and call of a corrupt organization that doesn't serve the country I love, so much as the companies that own the government.” She slammed her pencil down, and turned to level a death glare at Petty Officer Allen, “I have done nothing but stay out of your guys' way, even though I have disagreed with practically every mission I've heard about, and have been unendingly appalled at your treatment of the local fauna. I am so fucking sick of all you little pricks thinking that you own the place just because you've got a stockpile of M-16s and enough testosterone to fuel a rocket.” She paused, noting the darkening look on Allen's face. “Got something to say hot shot? Want to try pulling some rank bullshit? You know what? Fuck you and your “ranks” I am not in the military, and I deserve to be treated as at least your equal.” She seemed to have finally broken his cool, he lunged at her, she snatched her pencil off her desk, holding it in along her forearm. He grabbed at her shirt first, tearing it, screaming at her:  
      “You are a heathen and a disgrace! You deserve to be put in your place, woman!” ' _Ah_ ,' she thought, quite calmly, ' _a rank chauvinist, too_.' He grabbed at her again, a somewhat demonic look in his eye, she flipped the pencil around, making a determined thrust at his heart.  
      A set of vicious looking blades erupted from Allen's abdomen, kept well away from her hand, which was still clutched around her pencil turned weapon. Laila looked over the noisily expiring man's shoulder, her Apparition was there, looking back at her. Finally being so close to him, looking directly at him, he was gargantuan, towering over her by at least two feet.       His scent was so strong it was violent against her senses, it was bitter and acrid, not at all what she had become accustomed to. Allen released his death knell. She looked down, she had almost completely forgotten about him. She pulled her hand away and let him drop to the ground.  
      “Fuck.” she looked down at herself, she was amazingly almost clean, but his blood was all over the floor. She glared at his corpse. That had been her favorite pencil, it had been green, with an eraser shaped like the hilt of a lightsaber. Jesus - why was he in the military? He had clearly been unstable.  
      “Fuck!” She looked around frantically, she had just killed a man, on an Army base, when they already suspected her of murder. She had to do something. How would she explain four wounds to the military police? Certainly the pencil wound was easy to explain, but the three in his abdomen? Coming from the opposite direction?  
      “Oh sweet mother of God...”  
      She gasped, she remembered her DVR was on, that would work well in court, right? Perhaps she should scream? That seemed like a good idea, Laila whimpered pathetically in the direction of the DVR. They needed to think this scared her. She coughed a little, thought back to her acting classes, summoning memories that called up a gale of tears, she rushed to the door of her laboratory, and flung it open.  
      “Help!” She screamed, working herself into a sobbing fit - thinking of her childhood pet iguana always dredged up some tears. “Help me please! He attacked me! I fought back! I...” she gasped frantically. “I think he's dying! Help!”  
      Officers came rushing toward her, one grabbed her by the shoulders, and pulled her aside while others rushed into the lab, she continued to bawl.  
      “I've never hurt anyone before! I was so confused! I was angry and he attacked me and I was just trying to protect myself I don't know how it happened!” The soldier couldn't decide whether he should comfort or detain her “I think I'm going to be sick.” She lurched away from him, surely the sight of so much blood had disquieted her stomach, but she needed to prove it. She fell against a nearby rubbish bin and retched violently.  
      Men came rushing back out of her lab, shouting and flailing around emphatically. Laila sunk to the ground, keeping her tears flowing. Someone came near her, pulling her up, she continued to murmur about how confused she was, how scared she felt. She refused to look up, to acknowledge the person beyond a form of support. He gently put a hand against her mouth, she stopped talking, her temper beginning to flare again,  
      “There's no body, Ms. Acerbi.” No body? No body! Impossible, she had just killed him, there had been no time for her Apparition to have taken him!  
      “What? I... I don't understand? Was he okay? I… I stabbed him with my pencil... I mean... did he walk away or something?” she pretended to look around in bewildered hope.  
      “There was no body in your lab... no blood... no nothing...”  
      “I don't understand... I was just there... I... I have a recording of our fight he came in just as I was indexing my notes I don't know what you mean...” Laila locked her knees and began to hyperventilate, causing the edges of her vision to dim dramatically.  
      “We'll look into that... howabout we get you some clothes?” hazily she thought her shirt must have come off.  
      Laila fainted.

      She woke up sometime later, the sky was a deep lavender and the air was considerably cooler. She groaned, flexing her thighs and calves, both sore from her fainting stunt. Sarah popped into view “Hey there, Laila!” Laila winced, she was far too groggy for such a chipper nurse.  
      “You must have gotten bit by one of your beloved bugs, because boy howdy did you cause a ruckus! We didn't find anything out of the ordinary in your lab, and there was no DVR, or anything, no one knows what got into you.” Laila groaned again, rolled onto her side and sat up, realising she was in a hospital gown. Sighing, she stood.  
      “Oh no, you really ought to rest, honey, you could still have hallucinations, and God knows what you'll come up with this time...” Sarah made to sit her back down, but Laila deftly side stepped her.  
      “The only place I'm resting is in my own bed, with my beloved bugs.” she scanned the room snatching up her shorts and slipping them on, tucking the tiny gown into the waistband. “But thank you for the concern. I'll check in if I feel off.” she walked out of the room and promptly exited the building.  
      Trying desperately not to look like she was hurrying, Laila rushed back to her lab, closed the door and threw the bolt. She looked around and wandered back over to where she had stabbed Allen. She stood there, stock still, staring at the floor, calling details back to her mind. She hadn't looked at the floor before she had rushed off, she realised. In fact, she had spent at least a few, if not several minutes trying to figure out what hell she was going to do. She supposed that could have given her Apparition enough time to begin moving the corpse, but enough time to get it out of the building? Without anyone seeing? She looked around, glaring at everything.  
      Bes' terrarium was out of place. Just below a window... A window that was extremely close to the jungle. Laila rushed back to her apartment, tearing off the hospital gown, she rushed to her dresser and pulled on a proper shirt, some shorts, socks and boots. Pausing momentarily she took in the air. Only very faint traces of spice lingered. She hurried back out and stared at the window. Deftly, she hopped on to the counter and through the window. The drop was slight, so she landed softly. There was no one around, she quickly crossed the maybe three yards to the jungle and worked her way in as quietly as possible.


	5. Chapter 5

      Laila kept a keen eye for overturned foliage, blood or tracks of any kind. Trying to recall all of her deer hunting knowledge she crept along, her nose trained for the sweet hot scent of her Apparition. Staving off irritation, she centered herself, soothing her nerves and priming her reflexes should she need them. Hearing a rustle she carefully turned her head toward it, only to see a spider monkey fleeing. Continuing on she allowed herself to become absorbed in her mission, focused only on obtaining her Apparition, no more monkeys to distract her. She willed him to her side, called out with her mind, her senses.  
      Cinnamon burst into the air, by a glade, a small pool fed by a brook that wandered through an open area. The moonlight was brilliant on the water, illuminating the clearing, casting inky shadows into the jungle, against the trees. Surely this was where he was, if not where he stayed. His scent was so thick in the air. She felt taken over by it, it was heady and delicious, almost tangible. She walked into the clearing, standing by the water, exposing herself to him, if he were around. It was so hard to think with the scent-taste: It made her feel intoxicated, aroused… rash. Laila opened her mouth a bit, letting the air circulate from her olfactory to her palate. She could almost taste his skin.  
      Cracking her eyes she saw her Apparition just across the embankment, a few feet away. She slanted her eyes, exposing the bronzy column of her neck, ran a hand over the exposed flesh until she caught the opposite elbow. On some level, she admonished herself for being so blatant toward a man that she knew absolutely nothing about.  
      “Better to have lived a hedonist, than to have died a prude.” Her companion seemed to cock his head to the side inquisitively. Unsure if she should approach him openly, she sank slowly to her knees, looking up under lashes, holding a hand out, she curled her fingers inward, beckoning.  
Her Apparition came to her, stepping into the water, standing in front of her, she had to tilt her head completely back to look up toward his face. Laila purred softly, a sound that had been the undoing of many a man, in her experience. He seemed no different as he shuddered and pressed closer to her, his knees on either side of her thighs. He purred in return and she moaned deeply.  
      “If I can't see you, I'd at least like to know whose name I need to call,” her voice was husky, layered with a need she'd never felt before.  
      “A'apep,” came a very rough voice. Laila shivered. His voice was so deep, it felt so much different in her ears than any other man. She ran her hands up his thighs, they were massive, and undoubtedly powerful.  
      “Laila.” She felt a rumble as she continued up his sides, his herculean chest shuddering with his voice;  
      “I know.” Laila moaned in spite of herself. She should be angry that he had been stalking her. That he was so presumptuous, but she was lost in the feel of his skin, it was smooth, slippery almost, like snake scales. His scent was driving her to utter distraction, building an intense heat in her core, priming her for intercourse. She moved her hands to the apex of his legs, brushing her fingertips along the junction of leg and hidden sex. A'apep growled, and she smiled wickedly. He shifted suddenly, working to lay her back, and remove her clothing. He made short work of her shoes, and she gladly helped, removing her shirt, glad she had neglected her bra in her haste to find him.  
      The cool breeze caressed her skin as it was revealed, pulling her nipples to attention. A'apep ran a nail down her panty covered genitals, mimicking the torture to which she had subjected Sarah. Laila growled: That was a strangely dirty trick.  
      A trill sounded, and the garment was removed, exposing her somewhat haphazardly groomed sex to him at last. A'apep growled deeply, her scent was divine and obscene, simultaneously. It was heady and alluring, but so very alien, so exotic. He inhaled, savouring it: This was why he'd been following her, why he'd stolen her undergarment.  
      He carefully ran the pad of his index finger over her entrance, she was so incredibly wet. She arched against him, her legs opening to him, one on either side of his kneeling form. A’apep growled deep in his chest, her scent was a riot on his senses, driving him to distraction. Laila was beginning to get impatient, drunk on the oppressive scent of her partner's sex, and the high of evading authority.  
      “Either you give me the lay of a lifetime right now, or I'm out.” His head jerked up “I'm naked and aching to be filled, and you haven't decloaked or whatever, which is fine, if that's the way you want it...” she ran a hand down to her core, whetted her fingertips and brought them up to her clit “all I really need uncovered at the moment is your cock. And I kind of need it now.”  
      “I will terrify you,” it was incredibly difficult for him to speak her strange language when she was playing with herself, but thousands of years of precedent (anomalies aside) was hard to ignore.  
      “The only thing terrifying me at the moment is the thought of not getting a raucous fucking,” she slipped her fingers down, dipping into her needy sex, moaning invitingly as she did. It broke his last reserve of logic. He decloaked, and leaned forward, having uncovered himself previously, while she was distracted. Laila watched, fascinated, as muscles in his abdomen fluttered, slowly exposing his slick sex. The wide head of his cock teased at her entrance, seeming to jut from smooth skin between his legs. She growled and bucked against him, trying to take him in.  
      “Do you fear me?” His voice was dark, it held a strange quality in its depths. Laila opened her eyes to find herself staring into the cold black eyes of a large metal mask. She noted his hair, long and black, seemingly taken into hundreds of slender locks, the moonlight glinting off of silver beads that adorned his hair.  
      “I mean… if that's the way you want it babe, we can both pretend the screams are terror.” Laila threaded her fingers into his richly textured strands, and yanked downward, shoving herself against his engorged member. He growled loudly, her tight, slick heat engulfing him in fits and starts.  
      “Oh, sweet mother of Christ...” she moaned emphatically. He was quite wide, certainly keeping with the rest of his appearance, and ridged, with softly crested points from his bifurcated crown, down his shaft, that swept off into long swales that smoothed out on the underside of his cock.  
      “God alive!” she pulled herself up, sliding back down slowly, to fully appreciate his unique shape - bipedalism aside, he wasn't too far removed from his serpentine ancestors. A'apep took hold of her wrists, taking only a moment to marvel at how tiny they felt in his hands before he pinned them above her head. He thrust into her as gently as he could, for he did not want to break her. She moaned and demanded more. He picked up the pace by a fraction, she was so delicious, so tight he was surprised she could take him. Laila snapped her hips up to meet his next thrust, adding her force to it, showing him that she wasn't kidding when she asked for more.  
      “Fuck. Me.” she punctuated her words with energetic thrusts. He roared, he couldn't take her wet heat and the command, together.  
      A'apep abandoned his attempts at gentleness and began taking her as roughly as he wanted. She was so slender and small that her body jerked with each thrust, tearing an encouragement or an obscenity from her throat.  
      “Yes yes yes yes yes... Now, please, harder, _fuck_ ” he felt her shuddering, her thighs against his sides tensing and shaking as her words began to blur together. Suddenly Laila arched against him, screaming, and her sex clamped down and convulsed around him, fluid gushing everywhere. Thrusting haphazardly, he quickly found his release in her still shuddering core, managing - just barely - to keep his roar to a mere growl. She collapsed to the ground, and he let go of her wrists in favour of propping himself on his forearms. Laila mumbled contentedly. A'apep purred and nuzzled against her, his mask still firmly place.  
      Laila awoke, the moon only slightly out of its previous position. She had been worried that A'apep would have sneaked off while she had been snoozing. She cast an appraising eye over his physique. If she hadn't been so _incredibly_ difficult to fluster, she supposed his skin might have put her off. In the crystalline moonlight, his skin shimmered softly, the light reflecting off of tiny scales that were smooth to the touch. She inspected his colouration, the soft sandy shade that graced his stomach and inner thighs, deepening into a smoky black, adorned with a softly geometric grid of pitch coloured spots. Curious, she looked to his now soft member, noting that it was completely obscured. Where his sex had been, there was only a change in the pattern of his scales.  
      Unable to resist the temptation, she reached out, running her fingers over the incongruous pattern.. Laila was quite pleased when he began to respond immediately. Aboutfacing so she lay with her head by the apex of his legs, she breathed softly against it. The musky undertones of his scent beginning to overwork the sweet cinnamon. Licking experimentally around the strange pattern, she tried to detect his taste through her own. Certainly she tasted nothing like the strange, earthy, spicy flavour she was experiencing? He tasted something akin to a full spice cabinet, with a hundred different flavours and scents all mixing together to form a symphony.  
      She decided she was fond of it.  
      Tracing her fingertips along the smooth seam between his legs, she began to tickle the sensitive skin of his hipbones. The head of his sex began to peek through the scales between his legs. Laila reveled in the texture of his rapidly growing member. Feeling somewhat reckless, she took the head into her mouth, noting with some amazement how incredibly large he was. Not much longer than perhaps seven inches, but awesomely thick: taking him into her mouth put her nearly at capacity.  
      A'apep woke slowly, still dazed by the heavy musk that clung to him. He purred deeply, appreciative of the delicate attention to his cock. There was a pause in the ministrations, and he shifted his hips slightly, encouraging Laila. Certainly no other female had ever pleasured him so, and he thought that perhaps this would ruin him for the attentions of his own species. Laila stopped for a moment, straddling him, she rubbed herself against the valley between his pectoral muscles, looking over her shoulder provocatively. Leaning down she took him into her mouth again, raising her bottom, exposing her sex, and moaning. Clawed hands wrapped firmly around her hips, indecisive between keeping her mouth deliciously attached, or moving her still soaking wet sex to his. He growled to see his seed leaking from her, running down her thighs and pooling on his skin, and felt a deep sense of satisfaction at having filled her so completely.  
      A desperate, clawing desire to repeat the process took hold of A'apep. He shoved her full hips toward his member, an uncontrollable urge to sire on her blinding him to everything else. He was pleased with how quickly she responded, setting herself upon him, but he could not grasp why she had done so facing away from him. He roared when she took him in fully, rolling her hips. She was teasing him, challenging his stamina.  
      A'apep took a hold of her hips, and ravished her. Laila lost her sense of space, completely taken over by sensation. Everything seemed so much more intense, so much more detached. His scent was around her like a physical thing, his hands were branding hot against her skin, the ridges of his cock fulfilling, and depleting. She screamed. The moon seemed so bright, the trees so dark. Laila fainted against the onslaught.


	6. Chapter 6

      Laila slowly came into awareness, her eyes still closed, her breathing even, she felt the presence next to her, felt the radiant heat from it, the slick smooth slip of his skin, his scent calmer now, soothing. She open her eyes, leveling her stormy gaze at A'apep. He was still, unequivocally, not human. Humanoid, perhaps, but without doubt, he had not originated from any Earth-native ecosystem she could call to mind. And she hadn't even seen his face yet. Her face darkened at the thought. She had - enthusiastically - given herself to A'apep. It bothered her on a fundamental level that she had yet to see his face. His breathing changed, and he shifted.  
      “Good waking” he rumbled, running his fingers through her long hair “I have a gift for you.” Laila smiled, her irritation soothed. A'apep stood, extending his hand to her. She took his it, smiling, he was so much more polite than anyone who had ever courted her. She noticed that she was decidedly not outside, and while she had assumed as much, she hadn't really realised that she was in some sort of metallic structure. She preened under his gaze, pleased she had gained his trust so quickly. He lead her from the sleeping chamber, down a passageway that was simultaneously gargantuan and cramped. She supposed a lot of it had to do with the fact that the lighting was so low, with a greenish cast, throwing deep shadows into the arched ceiling. He pulled her away, toward a large room, the greenish lights somewhat brighter, gleaming eerily off of the polished skulls that lined the wall. She traced the elongated skull in front of her, so alien, and smooth. She inspected the sides of the skull with her fingertips, finding no eye sockets she continued downward, her fingers catching on needle fine incisors. A'apep rattled an appreciative purr.  
      “That was my first hunt. He gave me the three scars on my back.”  
      Laila turned to him, one palm still flat against the smooth surface of the dead beast's forehead.  
      “It has no eyes.” her hand ran along the side of the skull again, curious and intrigued.  
      “They sense by air vector.” A'apep made a sweeping motion with one massive hand, as if to indicate to her his exact meaning. Laila was too busy trying to recall basic insect biology to get properly riled at his oversimplification. She petted the skull again - it felt like polished steel.  
      “Come,” A'apep said, “I will have you there later.”  
      Laila turned from the fascinating specimen reluctantly, her eyes alighting to the other heads decorating the wall, so varied in shape and texture that she thought she could lose herself amongst them for hours. A'apep motioned her forward, and she followed him to a long desk, obviously built to his height, as it came nearly to her bust while she stood next to it.       He was rustling around, looking for something. Laila ran her hand over the dark metal, smooth and slightly warm from the standing temperature in the room. She inhaled deeply detecting the rust and copper scent of human blood underscoring A'apep's currently mild scent, the Guatemalan jungle hung delicately around the desk, a heady foreign scent was ingrained deeply into the metal. Laila bent forward, nearly nuzzling the flat surface to get closer to that scent.  
      A'apep turned to her, observing her somewhat strange behaviour. He had been under the impression that humans were lacking in the olfactory department. He watched in amazement as her fingers skittered with seeming intent over the areas within her reach that had been drenched with the blood of her assailant so recently.  
      “Laila?” She looked up at him, paying very close attention to his skin and hair, reading his body language. A'apep tilted his head, curious about her sudden, frank, and rather unnerving appraisal. She turned, hooked the heels of her palms on the edge of the desk, gave a delicate jump and hoisted herself into a sitting position, swiveling slightly so that she faced him, much closer to his height now.  
      “Yes?” A wave of uncertainty swept over A'apep. What if she was displeased? He held his full hand out to her, the skull cradled in his palm was dwarfed. Laila inspected the undeniably human head, almost glittering in the green light. ' _Well_ ,' she thought, looking at the skull, ' _shit_.' The empty eye sockets were damning in their hollow gaze. Reaching forward she hooked her slender fingers through the defined cheek bones and brought it forward, her eyes sharp on the details and contours of the bone.  
Before she had settled on conservative entomology, she had considered a major in forensic reconstruction. She tried to imagine flesh covering the nasal cavity, over the high cheek bones, pulling across the jaw. She turned the skull sideways, eying it critically, noticing that the jaw was attached to the skull somehow.  
      “Petty Officer Allen, I presume?” A'apep let out a breath - he'd been concerned by her silence.  
      “Yes. I took his trophy for you. He was your kill.” Laila looked up at him.  
      “You stabbed him too. How could you tell who killed him?”  
      “It was your weapon that pierced his heart... I was acting in... rage.” The admittance brought a tide of shame through him; he was too seasoned to be acting so rashly. Laila ran her fingernail over the ridges of the nasal cavity. "It is against our custom to disrespect Life Givers."  
      “Fascinating...” she said softly, lost in thought. Obviously his culture was that of trophy taking, or at least, he was a trophy taker... and if he killed humans, and took their trophies, did that mean she could be on the chopping block? She looked around again, training her eyes specifically for human skulls. Littered amongst the alien and the familiar were the remains of other humans, some newer looking than others, all of them seeming reasonably large.  
      “Did you kill Collins?” She shifted her gaze back to A'apep.  
      “Yes.” No remorse. But then, she supposed, of course he wouldn't have any. She thoughtfully circled her palm around the crown of Allen's skull.  
      “May I see him?” A'apep eyed her for a moment and then turned, fetching down a skull from a trophy rack very near the table.  
      “Usually I prefer more fight from my kills, more honour, this one was almost a mercy killing, he was so weak.” Laila snorted in amusement;  
      “No doubt.” Grim amusement tinged her tone.  
      A'apep was somewhat taken aback by this, as he had been by her smooth and calm acceptance that she had killed a man. Weren't humans a remorseful bunch? Sentimental about the killing of members of their species? She was watching him, he noticed, and he put Collins away, still debating whether or not he was going to dispose of the trophy.  
      “What... species are you?” Her sudden keen interest in his classification further unnerved him.  
      “Why do you want to know?” He felt a bit defensive, really.  
      “I, ah… _slept_ with you. I don't really think its untoward... you are _certainly_ not human - at least not any variant I've seen.” Laila watched him, palming Allen's crown thoughtfully. A'apep was puzzling over the term “slept with” they had slept with one another, he supposed, did humans only do that if it meant something? In which case was intercourse less important than sleeping with your rutting partner? Very intriguing. He voiced his questions.  
      “It's a turn of phrase,” she began, “we use it, because for the most part, humans are embarrassed by sex, we are socially programmed to think that it's dirty, something to be discussed in private and with euphemisms.” she paused, thinking “Though casual sex is liberally participated in, contradicting the whole “sex is bad” mentality. So yes, to an extent, sleeping with the person you've had sex with means a fair bit, as most people just fuck and leave. And those who accidentally fall asleep with you often leave before you're awake.” Her tone turned bitter. “With most humans, it is rare, unless you are in a relationship of some type, to wake up next to the same person more than once.” She gave him a significant look. A'apep processed this information.  
      “Humans do not mate for offspring?”  
      “For the most part, no. Its simply something two people, who often don't know each other very well, participate in, generally after a night of binge drinking, or indulging in some other intoxicant. Some humans do engage in intercourse for the purpose of procreation, and some only have sex to procreate.” Laila was giving sex ed to an alien.  
      “So humans are not a monogamous species?” He supposed that made sense, the more genetic mixing, the more opportunity for superior offspring.  
      “That is terribly complex. Most that have intercourse with goal of a child in mind are monogamous, though some conceive accidentally during a one time liaison. Others who are in committed relationships bring in other partners from time to time, sometimes for extended periods, with or without the intention of conception. And of course there are homosexual relationships that are monogamous, and they for obvious reasons, are not having sex with procreation in mind.” She thought she had described in the most concise terms possible for for such a massive subject. She sighed, “I suppose the shortest answer to your question is simultaneously yes and no.” she narrowed her eyes, “That, however, has nothing to do with my question.”  
      A'apep straightened, he realised he had no way to truly deny her, she had already seen him, noticing him much more quickly than many of the males of her species that he had hunted. Aside from that, they had engaged in intercourse, and he'd brought her inside his ship. He admonished himself silently, she made him so rash.  
      “I am Yautja.” he took great pride in his lineage. He lifted his hands to his mask, disconnected the hoses and lifting it away from his face. A'apep flexed his mandibles appreciatively, they were beginning to get cramped from being confined within his mask for so long. He looked directly at Laila her heat signature had barely changed, her scent remained, for the most part, even and sweet. He knew that he was fearsome, even among his own species, he was taller than most males, and very darkly coloured, the quills on his face and his hair were the of the deepest black. He had been a highly desirable mate ever since he had passed his Chiva.  
      Laila returned his gaze as evenly as she could, she was sure that he was an excellent predator, and would likely react in a predatory fashion if she showed signs of fear. Employing her steely self control she forcibly kept her breathing even, and her heart under control. She tilted her head, were his eyes so glowingly emerald, or was it the light? His teeth were wickedly sharp, and perfectly white. She motioned him closer, and he complied. She inspected his face quite frankly, though she managed to keep her fingers under control. The scientist in her was flaring to life. He had no nose... did that mean he scented through his mouth? Or on his tongue like a snake - he did appear rather reptilian.  
      “Are you poikilothermic?” It slipped out before she could catch it, and remembering his earlier defensiveness, concerning his species, she quickly covered: “I apologise, I am merely fascinated.”  
      She continued to gaze upon him, the flesh stretched between his mandibles was so violently red that it shone through the green light around them. She set Allen on the table beside her, and shifted to rise on her knees, resting her backside on her heels she continued to look her fill. He was handsome in his own way, perhaps no human David, but striking, or perhaps commanding.  
      “You must be popular with the ladies back home...” she said, a little ruefully. Surely he could not stay with her, he was obviously far from home, and he'd probably off her once he had his fill, she sighed.  
      “I have sired many suckers, yes.” Confused by her sudden sadness, he preened under her gaze, and his breeding prowess. “Some have even gone on to their Chiva, and have done their clan great honour.” He was proud: Those that were lost had been weak.  
      Laila reached forward, moving with a deliberate pace that made A'apep curious about her sudden change of demeanor. She brushed her fingertips gently over his quills, sliding her hand upward along one of his brows to his tightly locked hair, playing across the ridges along his crown. She was up on her knees now, and had brought up her other hand, that was now dancing over the beads in his locks, causing him to purr. Her touches were delicate and explorative, so much different from her demanding behaviour only hours before.  
      “Were they all so striking as you?” Her left hand had come up and was stroking his lower mandible, while her right had began to delve into his locks, tugging slightly. Both actions were succeeding in distracting him greatly.  
      “None so large as I, but they have time yet, to grow.” She was tracing upward, along the length of skin, rubbing the flat of her index finger gently over the silver capped tip of the tusk. Her breathing was becoming tight and shallow, A'apep's scent was changing again, becoming musky and demanding. Leaning forward and down, Laila brushed her cheek softly along the grain of the quills adorning A'apep's defined brow.  
      “When will you return to them?” Laila's question was quiet, contemplative, perhaps he had a female of his own species waiting for him at home? A brood of young to tangle around his knees?  
      “I will return, when I return,” he said vaguely, far more interested in the soft flesh so close to his tusks, her silky cheek resting on the ridges of his crown, her hands running delicately through his locks. A'apep pushed her back to lay on the desk, purring. Laila was caught between wanting to continue, and further questioning him about his intentions when an alarm sounded throughout the ship.  
      A'apep jerked upright, growling angrily and began to stalk out of the room. Unwilling to be left out of the proceedings, Laila deftly leapt from the desk, landing in half crouch, she swiftly recovered and swept after A'apep. He was practically storming, Laila fumed quietly, as she had to jog to keep up with his superior gait.  
      Quite suddenly they were no longer encased by halls, as a ship's bridge blossomed across her view she realised it was nothing short of herculean. The chairs alone looked to her like small beds, and the command panel was a wonder to behold. A'apep strode to the panel that was blinking urgently, informing him that there was a small search group nearby. Punching a sequence of buttons irritably, the ship shuddered delicately and silently, Laila for her part had wandered over to one of the windows and was avidly examining a chrysalis to whose origins she was completely stumped. Desperately wishing she had a sketch pad she turned to A'apep.  
      He was standing at attention his mandibles tense, his eyes undoubtedly trained on the group of men wandering below them, snooping around the small glade recognized as the one she had so recently made enthusiastic use of with A'apep. Laila blushed furiously as the men puzzled about the flattened patch of grass. A'apep turned his head toward her, as her heat signature had flared and she was shifting somewhat uncomfortably from foot to foot, with her chin against her shoulder and looking abashed. Purring, he held his hand out to her.  
      “Come here, Laila” he was still having difficulty with her strange soft syllables, but he vowed to practice, hopefully with her around. “What are you concerned about?”  
      “Ah...” Laila looked the other way, peering discretely at the soldiers who seemed somewhat reluctant to leave the spot where A'apep had taken her. Laila allowed herself to be coaxed forward, where A'apep wrapped his massive arms around her, pulling her back until she landed in his lap, with him sitting on one of the chairs, facing the soldiers. She felt so small, protected, desired. Trying desperately to reign herself in, she tried to distract him from the heat that was pooling between her legs: she was still wet from their last liaison.  
      “What do you think they're searching for?”  
      “Me.” A'apep said lightly, beginning to massage her thighs.  
      “Have they seen you?” She was somewhat panicked by the thought.  
      “None of them are so perceptive as you,” he began carding his mandibles through her hair; the texture was incredibly fine. Laila shifted, her blossoming arousal from earlier was fast returning, and from the scent of it, so was A'apep's. She tried to make a noise of protest but it came out as a needy moan.  
      “They can't see us,” he purred “and they have no idea what happened there, nor what is happening here.” he began peeling his bed sheet from Laila's skin, tugging it from her grasp. He made quick work of his loincloth, rubbing his now fully erect member against her core.  
      “What... what about, um... noise?” the ridges on his cock were making it extraordinarily difficult to think. A'apep trilled softly in amusement, she was an odd creature, to be sure.  
      Lifting her slightly, he slowly slid home, growling happily as Laila's tight, wet heat slowly encased his sex, dripping his seed and her slick all over the floor. A gentle “oh” followed by a deeply satisfied moan greeted him, as he slowly lifted and lowered her.  
      “If I... if I didn't know better... I'd say you were an exhibitionist!” Laila's voice became strangled with a particularly enthusiastic thrust. A'apep was certain that she was entirely too coherent and leaned forward, careful to keep himself inside of her, until she was hands and knees on the floor. He reared up over her, his stance wide, as to keep an agreeable angle, and latched on to her full hips, appreciating the soft flesh in his palms. He took her slowly, causing her to moan and beg and curse him. He truly appreciated this position (one he had seen a number of the soldiers around base using during their various affairs) as he didn't think it would work with any females of his own species. He thought it was particularly useful as he kept a wary eye on the soldiers milling about below his craft.  
      Laila sneaked a hand down to her clit, suddenly quite interested in exhibitionism, herself. She peaked quickly, tensed, her tight channel clamping down on A'apep's cock, and choked back a scream as she orgasmed. He purred appreciatively, she felt divine to begin with, but the spasms now shaking her body and her sex were other-worldly. Satisfied with her pleasure, he allowed himself climax, growling loudly. Pulling her back into his lap, he rested against the seat of the chair behind him, gently stroking her inner thighs, the need to sire on her was nearly maddening. He rumbled in thought, his mandibles clicking against each other as he contemplated the idea. Could she carry his offspring? Would she be able to survive the birthing? And if she could carry, and survive the delivery, how long would she live? Long enough to even see their child to Chiva? He purred when he realised that she had fallen asleep in his lap, his member still buried in her sweet depths. Rising, she moaned and curled into him as he slipped from her, his seed gushing out.  
      Carrying Laila to the sleeping chamber, A'apep thought furiously, how was he to keep her? Surely he could get approval from the Matriarch? Would she trust him when he said Paya had guided him here? To her? For the purpose of breeding with her, raising superior suckers? He didn't understand his divine duty, only that he had been called, and could not deny it.


	7. Chapter 7

      Laila shifted. She was sore. Incredibly sore, she amended as she sat up, and her swollen labia protested the sudden addition of weight. She contemplated her surroundings, she really, desperately needed the loo, on the other hand she had no idea where it would be located, or even if it would be similar in appearance to what she was used to, so that ruled out simply wandering and looking for it. Men, she thought irritably, always running off when you need to ask them questions. Grumbling, she stood, she felt groggy, too much sleep in too short a time, she supposed.  
      “Fuck.” she mumbled, looking around, “where are my clothes?” It was very difficult to see in this lighting. Had they been brought in? She didn't recall seeing them strewn around the clearing. She snorted.  
      “That certainly would have given them pause.” The room completely confounded her, what was that big ovoid in the corner of the room, and for that matter, it wasn't really a corner was it, it was rather curved, and didn't make her think of the corners she usually saw. Sighing, she called out;  
      “A'apep?” The ovoid opened, and A'apep stepped out.  
      “Laila?” he stood in what now appeared to be a doorway of sorts.  
      “I need the loo.” His head tilted to the side, she certainly liked her soft consonant slang.  
      “Loo?” he repeated, confused. Wasn't that a name of some sort?  
      “Yes, the restroom, bathroom, toilet, bog, W.C, loo, john, I need to urinate. _Now_.”  
      Understanding having been achieved, he stood aside and motioned her into the ovular door, which opened into an entire smooth looking bathing chamber. It reminded her of 60's mod decor, everything was rounded, silvery and slightly brushed to reduce reflectivity.  
      “Loo?” She questioned again, she was relatively sure she had the bathtub figured it, as it was hard not to. The thing was sunken in the floor, and looked like a small lap pool. The sink was also relatively easy to understand, as it was a long counter, with a deep depression in its centre, she wasn't sure where the water came from in either fixture, but that was currently irrelevant. There were a few other objects protruding from the wall, or erupting from the floor that she was still puzzling over, and she was losing patience. Laila looked at A'apep expectantly, and he graciously indicated an apse that receded part way into the wall, about four feet from the floor. Sighing she wandered over to it, it seemed... normal... enough, she supposed, though a bit tall. She glared at it, but her bladder was quickly winning the war with her stubbornness and she set about making it work. It functioned normally, she assumed, though she saw no paper hanging around, and a minor wave of panic set in when the machine dried her, itself. Huffing irritably, she hastened off.  
      “I need a bath... and my clothes.” A'apep had been fiddling with something by the giant bathtub.  
      “I had assumed as much, I was just adjusting the settings for you.” he picked her up and walked to the tub which was rapidly filling with water that seemed to be seeping out of the sides. Quickly descending a set of stairs Laila had not noticed earlier, he kept a delicately firm hold on her. Feeling slightly unbalanced by his caring nature, she pushed herself into a semi-sitting position in his grasp.  
      “I can swim, you know.” he growled softly, and she quirked a brow, cocking the left side of her jaw out, pursing her lips.  
      “It is considered polite for the male to assist the female in bathing, after mating.” She was so strange, didn't males of her species pay the same tribute?  
      “Ah... fine.” Laila relaxed in his grip, and he slowly lowered her into the water, running his palms over her body, lightly massaging her sore hips and back. He carded his fingers through her long, curly hair, which had become tangled through the evening.  
      “How are we going to wash my hair?” she mused aloud, now that her attention had been drawn to it.  
      “What do you mean?” was he not washing her as they spoke?  
      “You know lather, rinse, repeat? Need to get the excess oil off of my scalp and hair, or it will begin to smell unpleasant and become sticky.”  
      A'apep considered this for a moment, certainly her anatomy was alien, but he doubted that the cleaning microbes in the water would be unable to deal with her unique situation. He voiced his thoughts, informing her that Yautja, too produced oils for their skin and hair, and while mostly likely not as much as her species did, even after particularly harrowing and dirty missions, the cleansing was always sufficient. She regarded him momentarily and then shrugged, it would definitely be convenient if she didn't have to bring shampoo with her, she wasn't sure it would work out the way it was intended.  
      Laila became very, very still. Bring... with... her? She shifted her gaze back to A'apep, who was regarding her sudden change in demeanor with some trepidation. Narrowing her eyes viciously and pursing her lips again, she considered her options. She was completing her doctorate on a military base, full of people that thought she had committed a gruesome murder, in a country she couldn't decide if she liked or not. She also appeared to be having a rather enthusiastic... relationship... with an alien.  
      That killed humans.  
      And ripped their spines out of their still warm corpses.  
      She lifted her chin defiantly. Didn't seem to be much difference, when she considered the possibility of imminent demise.  
      “So,” she began, trying to word her thoughts as delicately as she could, “what are you planning on doing with me?” she winced slightly. Relationship talks had never been her forte, which generally wasn't a problem as there was very little “relationship” involved in her liaisons. That and they didn't usually involve lovers with very wide, very evident murdering streaks. A'apep stiffened slightly, confused and vaguely offended by the question. Didn't she know that it was usually considered bad form to hunt females?  
      “In what sense?” He hoped that was neutral. He couldn't really figure out the subtle nuances of her language. His was so much easier.  
      “Well, I can't really go back to base and continue my research. They'd stick me up on murder charges, no fucking doubt. And forgive my apprehensiveness concerning my status in this... affair.” she pulled back further in order to see him more clearly. He looked nervous, almost.  
      “I was hoping,” He paused, looking her fully in the eye “I was hoping you would accompany me back to my homeworld, where we might gain the blessings of the Matriarch.”  
      Laila blinked several times, looked toward the door, blinked again, rolled her eyes and returned her gaze to A'apep, her mouth slightly open in shock.  
      “Would I even be able to survive the gravitational pull of your planet? Aside from the atmosphere? And what about food? I'm flattered, most guys don't even want to take me to dinner after a lay, so this is big news. But the number of just plain logical and practical issues with this plan is... is astronomical! Would I even live long enough to make it back to your planet? Is it even in this galaxy?”  
      He slumped slightly, he wasn't sure exactly what he had been expecting, but instantaneous rebuttal was unpleasant, nonetheless. Noticing the effect her concerns had she hastened to reassure him, she was indeed very fond of him, despite their short acquaintance.  
      “I didn't say ‘no’, I just said that it is _terribly_ illogical, I mean what's your atmosphere even composed of?”  
      “Two percent more oxygen and one percent more nitrogen, than your Earth.”  
      “Well that would explain your massive body... but that also generally indicates greater gravitational force, if human theories are anything to go by.” she paused, looked him directly in the eye “If I am to die of this liaison, I would prefer it to be of something more glamourous than being crushed to death.”  
      “There have been instances in the past, where other Humans have been brought back to our planet, they have faired well.” He vaguely recalled a – Japanese, was it?- woman, if he was not mistaken. At the time he had not considered it important information; now he made a note to check. Laila wrinkled her nose slightly and sighed.  
      “All right, so no being crushed to death or dying of oxygen deprivation. What about food? My biology is terribly underdeveloped for eating exotic foods. If I don't have the emzymes to process something it's simply passed through my digestive tract... I could die of malnutrition... I know you said there were others, but was Earth native food provided?”  
      “I...” A'apep paused, thinking momentarily, “am unsure, though I believe they received adequate nutrition from our food.” Laila seemed to be relaxing, finding fewer and fewer reasons to be concerned. She exhaled heavily and sank lower into the hot bath water.  
      “Right well, that fixes a few things. What about other members of your species? Last I looked there were a number of dead humans hung on your trophy wall.” A'apep seemed mildly offended at her rather frank question, though he supposed he should have expected it.  
      “It is considered dishonourable to attack an untrained female.” Laila's head jerked up, her eyes narrowing dangerously “Untrained?” Confused but unconcerned A'apep continued; “Males generally only hunt females that have shown a strong ability to fight. Some females are less scrupulous.”  
      Laila snorted derisively “So... shanking Allen wasn't a demonstration of skill?” she leaned back in A'apep's embrace and wet her hair, scrubbing her fingertips over her scalp vigorously. The pause in conversation allowed him to puzzle over what she had just said. Certainly she had stabbed him, so perhaps “shank” was another word for “stab”? But that had been self defence, and to be honest there was always a chance the creature being attacked could defend itself with fatal consequence. Laila surfaced, running her hands from her cheeks along her forehead and over the crown of her head. She fixed A'apep with a hard stare. A'apep felt almost nervous under her unrelenting gaze.  
      “Fine. I need some things before we leave.” She sounded resigned.  
      “I will accompany you from a distance. I do not wish for you to be harmed.”  
      Laila narrowed her eyes and made to get out of the bath tub, A'apep's voice followed her closely behind;  
      “I will research the food situation, I plan to take care of you.”  
      “I have no desire to be a “kept” woman. I would like to think I have at least some ability to take care of myself.” she looked around “Though I will need to get used to the layout of your ship. I need to dry off.”  
      A'apep led her to a rectangular depression in the wall by the head of the tub and motioned her in, pressing a button as she stepped through, Laila cursed in surprise as a hot gust of air whipped across her skin, pulling away excess moisture “I would have appreciated warning...” she received only a chittering of amusement in response.  
      A'apep handed her, her clothes, and clicked his mandibles thoughtfully. Turning, he motioned her to follow him, leading the way from the ship. Stepping off, he shifted out of visible spectrum, intentionally rustling leaves now and again to keep Laila on the right track. They would collect her belongings, and then they would set off to his homeworld. He purred thoughtfully - it would be an adventure.

**Author's Note:**

> So, at some point in the distant past I posted the original version of this... somewhere. I don't remember when, or where, but this fic has been floating around various of my computers for... seven years?  
> Anyway, if anyone recognises this from elsewhere, I'd dig a link to it.
> 
> Please comment! *puppy eyes*


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